A Slice of Trust: The Leadership Secret with the Hot & Fruity Filling, April/2011

Learn how to become an amazing leader!

A Slice of Trust by David Hutchens and Barry Rellaford teaches managers and leaders of all levels how companies that develop trust within the workplace can increase their value, efficiency, and innovation. This delightful fable follows Simon the Pieman who isn't as simple as everyone thinks. He serves pie to his customers along with his trust, one slice at a time. Trusting wisely and weighing the risks against the opportunities, Simon succeeds in his business, teaching an old dog, Sebastian, some new tricks along the way.

Inspired by Simon's trust, Sebastian learns a valuable lesson about the importance of extending trust, weighing out risks to exercise "smart trust," and the importance trust plays in leadership.

With a forward written by Stephen M.R. Covey, author of The Speed of Trust, A Slice of Trust is the secret to building the necessary leadership skills needed to maintain a working environment that spurs creativity and collaboration.

From the Inside Flap
Foreword
by Stephen M. R. Covey, Author, The Speed of Trust

I'll never forget an experience several years ago when our company had been working with two distinct suppliers to provide the same product for our business. On paper, the suppliers looked similar. Both had good people and reputations. We started off trusting them both. But while one supplier consistently performed, the other one didn't. Our trust in the one grew and in the other shrank. We had to put in place redundant inspection processes for the supplier that was inconsistent, which cost us extra time and money, causing our product costs to rise. We ultimately decided to drop that supplier and just go with the one we trusted.

After this experience, I found myself noticing everywhere the same phenomenon: that the economic implications of trust were as great as, if not greater than, the social implications. I ran with this simple insight and began to see the impact of trust—or the lack thereof—everywhere. I found that when I consciously focused on trusting and being trusted, it brought great success—and when trust was neglected or ignored, I paid the price. I eventually concluded that trust is the one thing that changes everything, and today I am only more convinced that is true. This conviction, along with empirical data and a personal sense of passion for this topic, led to the development and publication of my book, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything.

Because trust is such a simple idea, it is typically underestimated, assumed and taken for granted. It seems we only appreciate it after we lose it. Yet this oft-neglected subject of trust has yielded untold layers of depth as our company has explored its many uses and applications among individuals, teams, organizations, and society. Most fascinating, even with all the work we've done in dozens of countries, I believe we've only just scratched the surface. There is much more work to do, and that's what excites me most. That is why I am so pleased to have on my team practitioners like Barry Rellaford and David Hutchens, who help our trust approach come to life. Barry has served as one of the chief architects and global advocates for our approach, while David has developed learning tools and products that even today are helping our practice lead a transformation of trust all around the world.

These authors understand trust. Barry, more than anyone, helped me shape and mold the ideas and terms in The Speed of Trust. He has been a constant supporter and expert advisor for the work we're doing. Most significantly, he has been an insightful coach and facilitator in working with client organizations throughout the world, particularly with executive teams, in teaching and helping them implement the Speed of Trust on their teams and in their organizations in order to achieve sustained superior performance.

David, in turn, has paid the price to master our content, which, coupled with his innate gifts of writing and storytelling, has given him the ability to convey key messages in a way that is both simple and profound. He understands how people and organizations learn, and he's created tools and processes to enable and accelerate that learning. The combination of Barry and David in producing this wonderful book is an illustration of the speed of trust in action!

When they first approached me about this project, I must admit I was a bit skeptical. I'm typically not a big fan of fables—many of them aren't very well told or the stories often get in the way of the message or they come across as naively simplistic. But because I trusted the authors, I agreed to read their story and was delightfully surprised. As well as I know the topic of trust and what we've learned together in taking this message to individuals and organizations everywhere, I was still captivated by the characters and flow of the narrative—and laughed as I read about Simon's and Sebastian's choices and the consequences of the subsequent actions. Every time I found myself worrying about the message possibly missing an important idea, the authors had anticipated that very point, which would soon manifest itself as the story continued in greater depth. I was pleased-and impressed.

A Slice of Trust depicts the purposeful balance of choice, analysis, emotion, judgment and personal courage required for exercising trust. As you join Simon the Pieman on his adventures in trust, I invite you to reflect on how you have extended trust in your organization, your relationships, your family, your world. After all, the most important story is your story. It's a story that you create every day as you explore opportunities for trust. And it's a story whose telling is brought to life every time you extend your trust to another, one slice at a time.

So, welcome to this conversation on trust down a different- yet parallel-path from The Speed of Trust. As you experience the Speed of Trust in your world, we'd like to hear from you. Tell us your challenges in practicing "Smart Trust." Let us know where your journey is taking you and how we might help you take the next step. Along the way, I am confident that you will discover, as I have, that nothing is as fast as, more inspiring than, more satisfying than, or more filling than a simple slice of trust.

About the Authors:
David Hutchens is a writer, the author of Learning Fables, which teach organizational structures, strategy, learning, and leadership as well as corporate responsibility and business ethics. David's clients have included Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, GE, and IMB, among others. He lives near Nashville, Tennessee.

Barry Rellaford is a leadership development expert. He founded GreatWorks, which helps clients reach their goals by focusing on the strengths and passions of individuals, teams, and organizations to perform meaningful work. His clients include Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, Toyota, Intel, Nike, and the University of Texas Medical Branch, among others. Barry lives in American Fork, Utah.